United CEO issues new apology for passenger dragging

Oscar Munoz said in a note to employees Tuesday that he continues to be disturbed by the events Sunday night in Chicago.

The Associated Press

The CEO of United Airlines has issued a stronger apology about a passenger who was dragged off a United Express flight, calling the confrontation "truly horrific."

Oscar Munoz said in a note to employees Tuesday that he continues to be disturbed by the events Sunday night in Chicago.

He said, "No one should ever be mistreated this way."

Munoz was widely criticized for two statements Monday about the altercation in which he described the 69-year-old man taken off the plane as "disruptive and belligerent."

On Tuesday, Munoz said he was committed to "fix what's broken so this never happens again." He pledged to review the company's policies for seeking volunteers to give up their seats, for handling oversold flights and for partnering with airport authorities and local law enforcement.

The company plans to share results of the review by April 30.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said it was "troubling" to watch video of a passenger being dragged off of a United Airlines flight, but he said it's unlikely the federal government will launch a separate investigation.

Spicer noted that local authorities and United are reviewing the incident in which a man was forcibly removed from a full United Express flight at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Videotape of the confrontation spread across social media.

Spicer said he's sure Trump has seen the video but that any comment from the president could influence a potential outcome of the investigations.

Spicer added that he thinks everyone who has seen the video can agree that the situation could have been handled better.